Australia September 2025: BEVs at record 11.3% share, BYD Sealion 7 and GWM Haval Jolion break into Top 10

The BYD Sealion 7 is up to #8 in September.

15/10 update: Now with Top 342 All models ranking.

Excellent month for new light vehicle sales in Australia, up 7% year-on-year to 106,891 units. This is the 2nd highest ever September result below the 110,702 of September 2023. As a result the year-to-date tally switches into positive territory for the first time this year, up 0.3% to 938,959 units which is an all-time high after 9 months. Looking at sales by state and territory (excluding Tesla and Polestar sales), all states bar Australian Capital Territory (-3.5% to 1,340) are in positive this month. The best performers are Western Australia (+8.9% to 11,489), Victoria (+8.3% to 26,603) and New South Wales (+4.5% to 31,293) followed by Northern Territory (+3.5% to 942), South Australia (+3.3% to 6,634) and Queensland (+2.1% to 21,929). Tasmania (+0.5% to 1,762) is stable.

Including Tesla and Polestar sales, SUV registrations soar 13.2% to 65,598 and 61.4% share vs. 58% last year and 57.9% in 2023, light commercials grow 10.2% to 23,762 and 22.2% share vs. 21.6% in 2024 and 21.5% two years ago and passenger cars fall -13.3% to 13,713 and just 12.8% share vs. 15.9% last year and 16.8% in 2023. Heavy commercials are down -14.4% to 3,872. Private sales trail the market at +3% to 49,481 whereas business fleets ascend 11.5% to 39,257. Rental sales are up 8.5% to 6,692 and government fleets drop -13% to 2,690. Excluding heavy commercials, petrol sales drop -6.1% to 40,775, diesel is actually up 4.7% to 30,866, HEVs grow 9.1% to 14,811, BEVs surge 88% to 12,076 and a record 11.3% share and PHEVs soar 81.8% to 4,491. As for sales by country of origin, Japan is down -6.4% to 26,590, Thailand off -7.4% to 20,996, China up 66.9% to 20,958 and 19.6% share, South Korea down -6.5% and Germany down -7.1%  to 4,518.

The GWM Haval Jolion also breaks into the Australian Top 10 for the first time.

In the brands ranking, Toyota edges up 1.1% to 17.1% share, well below its YTD level of 19.4%. Ford (-0.04%) is stable which is in fact disappointing given the market dynamics, but it reclaims the 2nd spot YTD off Mazda (-14.2%) in great difficulty this month at #4. Kia (-4.2%) is also down at #3 despite the new Tasman, with Hyundai (+15.4%) beating the market to round out the Top 5. BYD (+178.4%) sports by far the most spectacular YoY rise among the 10 best-selling carmakers, selling over 5,000 unit for a 4.8% share and 6th place. Fellow Chinese GWM (+30.1%) is also in great shape, reaching a best-ever #7 for the 5th time after last February, April, June and July. The carmaker breaks its share record at 4.6% and delivers its 2nd highest monthly volume at 4,945. Mitsubishi (-22.7%) struggles at #8 but Tesla (+76%) shoots up to #9, its best performance in over a year (since June 2024). MG (+4.4%) is shy and closes out the Top 10. Meanwhile Chery (+172.2%) continues to gear up and breaks its volume record for the 8th month in a row (!) at 3,451 but slips outside the Top 10 at #12.

Model-wise, the Toyota Hilux (+17%) shows tremendous strength despite its age and snaps the pole position for the 4th time in the past 6 months. This is not enough however to dislodge the Ford Ranger (+8.5%) from the YTD top spot. The Tesla Model Y surges 162.1% year-on-year to third place with 3.7% share and lifts to #7 YTD vs. #11 over the Full Year 2024. This is the model’s best result since March 2024. The Ford Everest (-11.9%) suffers but ranks #4 vs. #6 so far this year. Below a freefalling Toyota RAV4 (-50.7% – it was #1 a year ago), the new Chery Tiggo 4 Pro breaks its ranking record at #6. As for the BYD Sealion 7, another recent launch, it is up 10 spots on last month to crack the Top 10 for the first time at #8. In a great month for Chinese models, the GWM Haval Jolion (+67.2%) also sports its maiden Top 10 incursion at #10. 

Previous month: Australia August 2025: Four Chinese brands in the Top 10 for the first time

One year ago: Australia September 2024: Toyota RAV4 best-seller, Ford Everest breaks records

Full September 2025 Top 55 All brands and Top 342 All models below.